My Guardian Angels
by Mikoto Bloom
Summary: This is a story about me. A freak who lost her father and asks God for a friend or maybe a guardian angel. It appears that later that they don't appear exactly as we think they may appear.
1. Prelude

_It was a rainy friday morning in the month of October. Everything around me is silent. I couldn't hear the raindrops hitting the surface. I couldn't even feel them, not even the cold air nipping at me. But all I ever heard was Father Kristoff reciting Psalms 23. It was one of Daddy's favorite scriptures but now, he's gone. In Heaven. I'm very sure he's there because he's a good man and a good soldier in the U.S. Army. After Father Kristoff finished reciting the scripture, the colonel called the soldiers to be ready for the three-volley salute. When the firing ended, I heard the bugle playing the "Final Salute" making a tear fall down from my cheek. The colonel handed me the folded flag and saluted me, I manage to whisper a thank you. I couldn't remember what happen after that but for about, I don't know a couple of hours, I was the last one by my father's casket. I placed a kiss on the casket, "I love you Daddy. I hope we'll see each other again." I haven't realized that I was soaked to the bone till I reached to our-well, my apartment. Took a shower, got into my p.j.s, and went to bed. I looked out the window and saw night sky clear and the stars were bright. Finally, I cried. I felt like I'm going to cry forever and my heart ache, as if stones were trying to crush my heart. Daddy was my best, and only, friend I had. There's no one I could talk to. Then I remember Daddy telling me that if you're in distress or if life's about to crush you, pray. I knelt down and start to pray to God. "Dear Father in Heaven, Daddy's in heaven now with you but...but.." I felt like a child not knowing what to say, "I feel so alone. May you help me find a friend or send one of your guardian angels I don't know what to do!" I cried some more until I fell asleep. _


	2. The Unknown Godfather

**Hi everyone, this Mikoto Bloom. Okay I don't own Marvel or the Avengers or Captain America or anything you might familiar with. So I'll only put in the main parts in it and skip to the chase a bit. I only saw the movies Thor, Captain America, the Avengers, and Captain America: The Winter Solider. I haven't seen any of the other movies, though I did some research and saw some scenes on , the timeline may alter a bit. So, bear with me. And if you have any more information, please let me know. **

**Please Read and Review. Enjoy! :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Wednesday, October 12th<strong>

* * *

><p>The next couple of days after my father's funeral has been a blur. Even though my mind and body was going on auto-pilot, I was aware what was happening. Answering questions, packing what I needed, the traveling etc. I try to put on my best face so I don't have to worry anybody. Although, it's hard trying to keeping in what I'm truly feeling.<p>

The next thing I knew I was sitting in the backseat looking at the passing scenery through the window.

"Miss Brisby? Did you hear what I just said?" asked Mr. Montrose, the social worker.

"Sorry Mr. Montrose, my mind left me. What is it you were telling me?" I asked.

Mr. Montrose sighed, "I was saying that we're near our destination."

"Where are we going?" I asked.

Mr. Montrose sighed irritated, "We're heading to Malibu, California. To see your godfather. Hopefully he will take you in."

That caught my attention, "I have a godfather?" I asked.

Mr. Montrose looked at me through the review mirror, raising his eyebrows, "You didn't know you have a godfather?"

I shook my head, "My daddy would've told me. Who is he?" My mind immediately played a scene from Disney's Cinderella where Cinderella learns she has a fairy-godmother.

"It happen a few times on my job but I never thought it would come to this particular person. It's Mr. Tony Stark. Also known as Iron Man."

Iron Man. I remember seeing a picture of him in one of the magazines at Wal-Mart, also heard some things on the news. Though I didn't pay much attention to them. My Grandma Mattie told me don't believe in everything you read or hear.

**_"Like the Bible says," she said, "'By their fruits, ye shall know them.' You must get to know them before making your own assumptions."_**

I smiled sadly. She was the last grandparent who past away but I'm pretty sure she's happy to be reunited with Grandpappy. "So how long till we get to Mr. Stark's place?" I asked.

"About an hour and a half." he said.

Oh boy. What will I say? What will I do? But mustn't give up! I must stay positive. _"Never give up, never surrender, and face it with a smile!"_ I quoted my motto.

0o0o0

My mind was blown away when we've reached Mr. Stark's house. It's a HUGE house on a hill. White, and many windows. Lots and lots of windows. I was beginning to think that the house was made of windows.

We're in front of a gate and Mr. Montrose pressed the gates' doorbell.

_"Can I help you?" _asked a British accent voice through the PA.

"Yes, this is Mr. Montrose. I have an appointment with Mr. Stark."

_"Mr. Stark isn't here at the moment, but he'll be here in about 15 minutes but you can come on in."_

"Thank you." he said.

_"I'll inform Miss Potts that you have arrived."_ Then the gates opened 'like magic'.

As we drove up the highway I thought the driveway would take forever but we finally arrived at-what I think is- a parking lot.

Mr. Montrose told me I should bring my stuff because he's pretty sure I'll finally have a place to stay. He opened the back of his car and help take out my grandfather's old suitcase. It was brown leather, a little worn here and there but it's still in good condition. And my Gran-Pam's violin. It's in an old 19th century violin case and like my grandfather's suitcase, it's still (surprisingly) in good condition.

We walked toward the front door, while I followed him behind.

Mr. Montrose rang the door bell. A few seconds later, a young woman about in her late 20's. She had strawberry-blonde hair, and wore a white blouse and a brown pencil skirt.

"Hi, I'm Virginia Potts, Tony Stark's assistant. Please come in and make yourself at home." She greeted. Then she noticed me behind Mr. Montrose, "Hi, what's your name?" she asked sweetly.

"Trudy Isabella Brisby, ma'am."

"Trudy." she pondered and smiled, "I like that name."

I feel myself blushing, "Thank you." I said timidly.

* * *

><p><strong>3rd POV, Tony<strong>

"So Tony, what are you planning when we get back home?" asked Happy, as they're heading toward the front door.

Tony sighed, "What I'm going to do when I get home is that I'm going to order a large pizza, have some shots, and go to bed."

"Sounds like quite a night Mr. Stark."

"And I'm looking forward to it. Of course you're more than welcome to join me."

Happy chuckled at that statement as Tony opened the door. Just as Tony and Happy got into the main floor, they saw two strangers in the main room. One was a man in his mid-50's in a suit and a small girl about 8 or 9 years old, she wore a soft white amish bonnet and wore a black (what seemed to be an old hand-me-down) dress.

Tony groaned, "Oh right. Some people were coming here."

Pepper stood up and walked over to Tony, "Did you just _remembered_ you have a meeting with a social worker?" she whispered.

Tony looked at Pepper surprised, "Social worker? Is there something I did wrong or something?"

Pepper looked at him, "I thought you already knew what was about after I mentioned the meeting." There was a short pause. Pepper crossed her arms, "Or were you half listening?" she asked skeptically.

Tony raised his hands in surrender, "All I know is it's a last minute meeting at the end of the day meeting, which I completely forgot!" he explained in hushed whisper.

Pepper sighed, "Just get in there and see what the meeting's about."

"Why won't you tell me?!" he asked.

"You're fault, you figure it out." she said. Then she turned to the guests and smiled, "Everyone this is Mr. Stark, owner of Stark Industries and famous hero Iron Man. And this is Harold Hogan, Mr. Stark's chauffeur and body guard." Pepper introduced.

A man got up from the chair and shook hands with Tony. "Mr. Stark, I'm Mr. Montrose. I'm here on serious family business."

"Is there like...some mishap about Stark Industries not suppose to belong to me? Because I've already been in cases about it before so I don't think it's a good idea."

"No, Mr. Stark. This is about someone else's family matters. Now before you interrupt," he raised his hand stopping Tony from saying anything, "I'm going to ask you this one question: How well do you know Cornelius Mitchell Brisby?"

Tony laughed in delight, "Mitch? How is that b-" he heard an 'ahem' from Pepper, and she pointed to the girl sitting on a chair, "uh...busybody?"

"First answer my question Mr. Stark," said Mr. Montrose, "How well do you know him?" he asked.

Tony shrugged, "Oh we've been great friends since middle-school and high-school. We were inseparable, then when we went our separate ways, we stayed in touch from time to time, even though there was a time he hadn't written to me in 2 years. We went back writing some more but I haven't heard from him in 12 years. Besides, he's a great guy. You'll like him once you get to know him. And back to my question, how is he?"

Mr. Montrose sighed, while the sitting on the chair lowered her head, "Mr. Stark," he said slowly, "Your friend, Mr. Brisby is dead."

That hit Tony in the gut. "What? How? When?" he asked.

"Mr. Brisby was killed by a car bomb about 2 weeks ago. I'm sorry." he said solemnly, "I'm here is that Mr. Brisby's daughter and only child, Trudy doesn't have anybody to look after her." Mr. Montrose turned and beckoned the girl, Trudy, to come.

Trudy slowly rose her head up, giving a small, meek, shy smile. "Hello." she said in a soft voice.

Tony and Trudy shook hands, "Nice to meet you, Trudy." he said.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Stark." she said.

Tony waved his hand, "Just Tony please."

Then it was Happy's turn to greet her, "You can call me Happy. So, how old are you?" he asked, nicely.

"I'll be 11..." she trailed off for a second, "in April." she finally answered.

Tony couldn't help but smirk, "And what day is that?" he asked slyly.

"On the 9th." she answered quickly.

"What? That's 17 days before my birthday!" exclaimed Happy.

Trudy ducked her head, "I'm sorry. I couldn't help being born on that day. God had me born on that day."

Tony shrugged, "No need." Trudy nodded and went back to her seat. Fiddling with the skirt of her dress.

"Forgive her but she shy and still lacks some social skills." said Mr. Montrose.

Then everyone heard a stomach growl. He knew it wasn't him, Pepper, Happy, or Mr. Montrose but from Trudy. Which reminded him..."Anybody hungry? I'm going to order some pizza for dinner. Care to stay with us Mr. Montrose?" he asked.

"Uh, no thank you Mr. Stark. I'm just here to discuss with you that if you _are_ going to be Miss Brisby's guardian."

Tony gave a weak chuckle, "I, uh, don't think you got the right kind of guy to do it. Besides, I don't think I fit in with these guardianship expectations. I may be a genius, billionaire, and a philamperist and you probably haven't heard this; I'm volatile, self-obessed, don't play well with others and a playboy. I don't it's a right kind of environment for her."

Mr. Montrose sighed, "I'm not saying, 'take her now.' But this is an emergency, at least for now, Miss Brisby has no place to stay and is in need of a guardian. All I'm saying is, at least be her guardian temporally for at least 2 months. Then you can decide whether or not to be her guardian."

* * *

><p><strong>Trudy's POV<strong>

Well, that settles it. It's clear that Mr. Stark doesn't want me. But at least I have a place to stay, for the time being.

Tony reluctantly sighed, "Ok, we'll see. But right now, I want to order some pizza. I'm starving!"

"Alright, Mr. Stark. I'll stop by tomorrow and explain this some more." informed Mr. Montrose, then he smiled at me. "Good night, Miss Brisby."

"Good night, Mr. Montrose." I said, as he went out the door.

There was this awkward silence in the room. I didn't know what to say or do. But thankfully, Happy broke the ice.

"So, uh...Trudy, what kind of pizza would you like?" he asked.

"Just cheese, please." I answered.

"Of course!" Miss Potts exclaimed, "Every kid loves cheese. And what would like to drink?"

I like Miss Potts already. She's very nice, "Would Root-beer be okay? You don't have to, I can just have some water."

Miss Potts smiled, "Nonsense, of course you can have some Root-beer." She walked over to Tony as he's playing some large palm-planner. "Tony, make sure you order some Root-beer for Trudy."

"Yeah, okay, Pepper." he said.

"Pepper?" I asked, curiously.

"Tony gave me that nickname after saving his company." she answered.

"What did you do?" I asked, interested.

Happy chuckled, "She came running into Tony's office, fought some of the security guards and she sprayed some pepper spray on one of them."

"And that's why I called her Pepper." Tony said. "JARVIS, call PizzaHut and tell the guys to add Rootbeer and some cheese pizza."

_"Right away, sir."_ said the British-accent voice.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Oh, that's JARVIS." explained Happy.

"It's short for Just A Rather Very Intelligent System. My AI." said Tony.

"What's AI?" I asked.

Tony looked at me surprised, "You don't know what an AI is? It stands for 'artificial intelligence'."

Light bulb! "Oh, so that's what it is. I mean, I know what an artificial intelligence is I just didn't know it has another name."

"So, Trudy, are you Amish?" asked Miss Potts.

I shook my head, "No, but Grandma Mattie is. I just kept her bonnet as a memento. I may be Christian, but I don't have a specific group really. Me and Dad just attend to any christian church that doesn't practice any form of priestcraft and is true to God through word and deed."

"That brings to my next question," said Tony, pouring himself some alcohol, "Mr. Montrose said I'm suppose to be your guardian. What did he mean by that?"

"He said that you're my godfather."

Tony coughed off his drink, since it must've gone to the wrong tube, "What?! Where the #%* did he get that idea?!" I flinched when he said that bad word.

"Tony!" Miss Potts scolded.

"It's...ok. I hear that a lot when me and dad were homeless." I said.

The three of them looked at me.

"You were homeless?" asked Miss Potts.

"For a long horrible year. Though, it wasn't really all bad." I said, "I mean it was 2 years ago but we finally found a roof over our heads and we lived in our apartment for 20 months. We had each other and that's all that matters, right?" I smiled.

"I'm sorry about your dad." said Happy.

I smiled at him, "Thanks Happy."

**_Bing! _**_"Sir, the pizza's here." _announced JARVIS.

"I'll go get it." offered Happy. As quick as he went, he came back with pizza boxes and a liter of Root-beer. Then we sat around the table.

"Oh boy!" exclaimed Tony, "Let's eat!"

"Wait." I said. Everyone stopped and looked at me, "We need to say grace."

Miss Potts smiled at me, "Of course."

"I'll say it." I offered. I bowed my head, and folded my hands, "Our Father in Heaven, we thank thee for this pizza that is on this table and please bless it. Thankful we're here together and please bless those who don't have much food to feed themselves, a roof over their head or don't feel loved. Please bless them and bless us that we help them. Thankful for this wonderful meal and the help that Mr. Stark has. We say these humbly in Jesus' name, amen."

"Amen." said, well almost, everyone.

"That's a nice prayer, Trudy." Miss Potts complemented.

"Thank you, Miss Potts."

"Just call me Pepper." she said.

0o0o0

We had a good dinner. The last time I had pizza was when Dad and I celebrated Dad's first paycheck at an auto-shop.

"Pepper, may you put Trudy in the spare room next to the basement?" Tony asked.

"Tony, that room is covered in dust!" Pepper exclaimed.

"I can clean it up tomorrow." I offered, "If it's not too much trouble." I added.

"I'll order a cleaning crew to come by tomorrow." Tony said.

"Oh, no thank you Mr. Stark. Besides, I wouldn't mind doing something tomorrow. I like cleaning."

A small smile formed at the corner of Tony's mouth. "Ok then...if you insist."

I bowed my head, "Thank you, Mr. Stark."

"It's Tony, please." he reminded me gently.

I nodded my head, "Tony, thank you."

"I'll carry your luggage," offered Happy.

"Thank you, but may I carry my violin, please?" I asked.

"Certainly."

"Ok, if you follow me Trudy." said Pepper.

We followed her downstairs and like Pepper said, the room is covered with dust. The room only has a bed stand, a drawer and a closet.

"Sorry about the dust." Pepper apologized.

"It's ok." I said, "At least it's not in the streets."

Happy opened a closet and took out a mattress that's in a plastic bag. "At least this mattress isn't covered in dust. I think you'll sleep just fine."

Pepper helped Happy uncovered the bag covering the mattress and place the mattress on the bed stand. "Trudy, how about you go get ready for bed while I make the bed."

"OK." I said. I open the suit case just to take out my nightgown and some underpants.

"Is that all you have?" asked Pepper.

"Yeah. Ever since my grandparents died, me and Dad only had to live off what we need. Our basic necessities came from Salvation Army and Goodwill. When Daddy died, I was only allowed to take what I need but I've managed to take a few of my treasures."

In my suitcase, I brought only a shirt, a pair of pants, few pairs of socks, some undies, basic toiletries, my dad's folded flag from the funeral, a book of fairytales and the Bible.

"You know, if it's ok with you, we can go shopping tomorrow." Pepper suggest.

My eyes must have popped, "What? You mean, go to stores and get new clothes?"

Pepper laughed, "Yes. Why are you surprised?"

"It's just, I just got here and I don't want to be a burden."

"What makes you say that?" asked Pepper.

"Well..." I couldn't think of my other family members now, "It's complicated."

"You can tell me later. Just get ready for bed ok?"

"Ok." I said.

0o0o0

This was the first time I had a good shower in days. Happy and Pepper seemed to like me and I don't even know why. But I don't know what to say about Tony. I just hope that I may get to stay. And I'm going shopping with Pepper tomorrow.

I ignored the dust on the floor and knelt down by my bed, "Dear Father in Heaven, I'm thankful to have place to stay, even if I'm staying here temporally. If I am here to stay, then please bless Tony. I'm not sure if he likes me or not. If I did anything to offend him then I'm sorry and I'm going to apologize him in the morning. I say these things in Jesus' name, amen." Then I covered myself in the sheets. Thankful that the blankets are warm, and cozy. I might get use to this, I don't know.


	3. Shopping Day

**Hi everyone! This is Mikoto Bloom. I want to say thank you. I got 3 followers and 1 favorite (one of each is…me. Sorry.). Thank you, thank you so much! Again, I don't own Marvel,** **Avengers**,** or anything related to them, I haven't seen all the movies, though I did some research, the timeline may alter a bit. I only own my OC: Trudy Brisby!  
>P.S. If you noticed, I don't cuss. And I don't want to put anything crude, inappropriate, nor show anything that involves s**. To be honest... it's embarrassing and it's hard to find a fan fiction that is honest in its ratings. So, I want to be honest on mine. Thank you. But if you find anything that <strong>_**you**_** think that I should change my rating, please inform me.**

*_Thoughts, Dreams/Flashback, Phone Conversation, J.A.R.V.I.S. speaking  
>*<em>_**Another language**_

**Please Read and Review!  
>Enjoy! :D<br>**

**Thursday, October 13****th**

**Trudy's POV**

(Warning: This is a sad part. Skip if you don't want to read)

_I ran through the hospital hall. Mr. Macintosh (my dad's boss) came by to our one room apartment and told me Daddy's has been in a car bomb. He told me that the doctors believe he wouldn't live for much longer._

"_Dear God, please help him. Please Father in Heaven. Please let him live." I prayed in my heart, as I ran. I looked at the room number 183D. I opened the door without knocking, I ignored the doctor trying to tell me to go outside and let him finish his work. I was traumatized of what I just saw. On the side of Daddy's face was burned, while the other half of his face was bandaged. The rest of him…I don't even want to describe my beloved daddy's wounds. A normal kid would've screamed and ran but I didn't. Yes I was horrified at Daddy's appearance, but he needs me. I can't leave him now.  
>I grabbed his hand, gingerly. "Daddy. Daddy, can you hear me?" I asked, trying to stay calm. His eye…flicker open.<em>

"_Half-Pint?" he whimpered my nickname. He couldn't move his head because of the cast around his neck. I moved closer, so he can see my face._

"_Here I am, Daddy." My voice was about to crack._

"_Trudy," he weakly circled his thumb on my hand, "I'm afraid that…. I'm going to leave you sooner than I planned to."_

_I shook my head disbelieving, "God will make you better. You'll see. We lived good lives, we have been faithful and He will keep His promises."_

_Daddy smiled, a tear forming in his eye, "You're right Half-Pint, but His ways are not always our ways. We may not agree with it, and we may not even want it but they are for our own good and they are always…..better than what we want to do with our life. Trudy, no matter what happens to me, don't be angry with God. This is not a punishment for you or for me." There is a moment of silence between us. "Sweetheart, my body won't last much longer and soon-" he coughed and wheezed for air, "I must go…and be with your grandparents and…your mother."_

"_Daddy, please don't. I still need you. You c-can't leave me now." My voice is breaking. "Who'll take care of me? What's going to happen to me?"_

_He looked at me, with his attempt to cup my cheek. He smiled, sadly, "Elige Ius semper, Trudy. Be…." he struggled a breath, "A good girl. I-I-I love….you….Half-Pint." He whispered. Then his eyes closed and exhaled. His hand fell from my hand and landed on the bed._

_I couldn't believe. I can't believe it! I shook my head hard. I shook Daddy gently, "Daddy?" I shook him a little harder, "Daddy, open your eyes. Please." I shook him even harder, "Daddy please get up." The doctor tried to touch my shoulder but I slapped it away, "NO!" I screamed, "He can't die. He CAN'T!" Then I felt someone else grabbed my arm, trying to take me away from him. "NO!" DADDY, PLEASE COME BACK!" I cried. I tried fighting back, kicking and screaming-_

"DADDY!" I yelled. I sat right up. I looked around and I remembered that I was in Mr. Stark's house—mansion. _"It was just a dream. No…a nightmare I lived."_ I thought. _"What time is it?"_ I looked around and I didn't see a clock anywhere. I guess there's a clock in the kitchen. I took the blanket from the bed and wrapped myself in it. Then I went upstairs. I forgotten how big the mansion was. I found a digital clock, and it said its 5:49am.

"_Miss Brisby, what are you doing up this early in the morning?_"

I squeaked in fright/surprise. "Who's there?" I asked softly.

"_It's just me. JARVIS._" Said the AI.

I sighed in relief, "Please don't scare. I get easily jumpy, especially at night."

"_Forgive me, but I like to ask why you are up at this time in the morning?"_

"Just a bad dream." I said. In fact, I've been getting dreams and nightmares about my last moments with Daddy or memories of my old childhood home. "I don't want to go back to bed. I just….need to do something." There was a moment of silence, "May you direct me to the kitchen, please?" I asked, politely.

"_Of course Miss Brisby. But my I ask why?"_

"I'm going to make some breakfast for Mr. Stark and Pepper."

"_You can bake?"_ he asked, surprised, _"What are you going to make?"_

My thoughts went back to my home. Before my Grandma Mattie passed way. That last breakfast she made before she became sick…. "Lemon poppy-seed muffins."

"_I may not have taste buds or a stomach, but that does sound like a good breakfast."_

"But first I need to get dressed."

"_Would you need any assistance?"_

"No thanks. I'm ok."

**3****rd**** POV, Tony**

Tony woke up early the next morning (around 5ish in the morning) and went down his basement/workshop to tinker. For some reason he slept ok, despite his plan to sleep-in today, but he's not sure what to think of after the occurrence last night. He made a list of what's going on:

One, he's shocked and saddened that a good friend of his has been killed.

Two, he's upset that after all these years of no contact, Mitch never mentioned he had a kid. Oh, he did told him he got _married_ but never told him they had a daughter.

Three, out of the blue which, should've been number one on his list, no, an _addition_ to one AND two, he's the girl's supposedly godfather.

But for some reason...knowing himself, he's surprised that he didn't turn the kid away when he had the chance. It's probably that Pepper was with him and he didn't want to go back to a "selfish *%&$ #~" everyone thought he was, especially Pepper.

_Wait a minute! Why especially Pepper?_ He thought. He shook his head trying to shake the thought away.

_**Tap-Tap-Tap**_

Tony turned and saw Trudy behind the glass door. Her hair was brushed and pulled into a ponytail. She's wearing an over-sized gray t-shirt that had the Yankees logo and a pair of jeans which are too big for her. She was carrying a tray carrying what looked like breakfast.

"Mr. - I mean, Tony, may I come in?" she asked, timidly.

Inside his head Tony sighed. He walked toward the door and opened it, "Good morning." he said as Trudy came in.

"Good morning, I got you some breakfast if you're hungry." The tray had lemon poppy-seed muffins, a banana and a mug of coffee with cream, sugar, and honey on the side. "I wasn't sure what you like in your coffee, so I picked some obvious choices."

"Thanks Trudy. You know, you didn't have to do that." he said sincerely.

"I just thought it's a way of saying 'thank you' and I also want to apologize."

That caught him by surprise, "Apologize for what?"

Trudy fiddled with her over-sized shirt, "Well...you were silent most of the night last night, and I didn't know what I did or said to make you uncomfortable, so whatever it was, I'm sorry and it shan't happen again."

Tony rose an eyebrow, "Ok, first of all: you didn't do anything and there's no need to apologize. Second, 'shan't'?" he asked in an amused tone.

Trudy blushed, "Sorry, old habit from Gran'Pam. She had a strong opinion on saying some particular words that should be used properly."

"'Old habits die hard.'" Tony quoted. They laughed softly.

"Well," began Trudy, "I better get ready for the day."

"Yeah, Pepper told me that you guys are going shopping today, right?" Tony asked.

"That's right." Trudy nodded, "So...I'll see you later." Then she walked out the door and head upstairs.

"See ya later." Tony took a bite of his muffin. "Whoa!" he thought, "This muffin tastes great. I need to know who made this brand." but then it hit him. _Did Trudy make these?_

0o0o0

**Pepper's 3rd POV**

Pepper arrived at the mansion punctually at 7:30am, as always. Ever since last night, she couldn't help but think about Tony's new guest/family member.

_Despite her shyness, she seems like a very sweet girl._ Pepper thought. _Besides, it would be a good time to learn more about her while we go shopping._

Pepper parked the car on the driveway and took out a plastic bag and a pair of different clothes. As Pepper entered the room, she heard music playing from the piano. This surprised Pepper, she hadn't heard the piano being played in the mansion since Mr. Obadiah Stane's gone. She recognized the tune, but what was it? She knew Tony never played. He only had the piano in his house just for show and Stane used it to stay cool and tolerate to Tony's misbehaviors. As she looked into the living room, she saw Trudy playing. She played beautifully but instead of the song being happy you could tell there's sadness it. The song began to slow down, becoming softer and softer, and then finally, the last note dimmed into silence.

"That was beautiful!" Pepper said amazed.

Trudy quickly got off of the bench and flatten out her clothes, her face red, "I-I'm so sorry, so sorry. I should've asked Mr. Stark's permission a-and-!" she spoke all nervous, and stuttering.

"Oh no, no. Don't worry about it. Besides, Tony wouldn't mind or…probably care. I think you played very well. What was that song?"

"_Fur Elise_ by Ludwig Van Beethoven." She answered.

"How long have you been playing the piano?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure. Grandma Mattie taught me how to play."

"Your grandmother?" asked Pepper.

"My mommy's mom."

"Wow, that's amazing." She said, she looked at her watch, "Ok, I'm going to make myself some breakfast, have Tony sign a few papers and off to shopping we'll go!" she smiled.

"There are still some muffins left in the kitchen." Said Trudy.

"Muffins?" asked Pepper.

Trudy looked down and started circling her foot on the floor, "I made some for you, Tony, and Happy."

Pepper's smile warmed, "That is very sweet of you. Thank you." She said.

"You're welcome." Said Trudy bashfully.

"But sadly, Happy called in sick today, so I think he'll have your homemade muffins another day." She said, sadly.

Trudy didn't seem to mind, "Ok."

Then they heard Tony coming upstairs, "Who was it that was playing the piano?" he asked.

"Believe or not, it's Trudy." Said Pepper.

Trudy, for some reason took a step back. "Sorry for playing the piano without your permission." She apologized timidly.

"Oh, no need. I think it's nice to have music back in the house again. Of course, I'm not a big fan of classical myself-"

"Excuse me, Mr. Stark," said Pepper in a professional voice, "I have a couple of things that is needed to get done today and one of them is that I need you to sign some of these papers before I leave with Trudy."

"Ok, Miss Potts." He said in a mocking professional tone, which made Trudy giggle.

"Oh and a quick reminder, Mr. Montrose will arrive within an hour." chipped Pepper

"Why can't I just have him drop everything so I can get back to my stuff?" he said.

"He's a social worker, and knowing social workers, he's got a lot on his plate and he needs to do this little at a time. So swallow it for the time being." She said.

Tony just sighed in defeat, "Ok, ok." As he headed back downstairs, "Have a great time ladies." He said, but then he stopped and turned, "By the way, Trudy, did you make the muffins?" he asked, curiously.

"Yes sir." Trudy answered softly.

"They're really good!" he said.

Trudy lifted her head up and smiled, "Really?" she asked.

"Yep." He turned to Pepper, "Try'em, they're _really_ good." Then he went downstairs.

Pepper smiled and grabbed one from the kitchen, "Whenever Tony recommends something good, most of the time, he's right." She said to herself. Then she took a bite, "Goodness gracious, these are delicious!" she turned to Trudy, "How did you learn to make them?"

Trudy lowered head and circled her foot on the floor, again, "Grandma Mattie. She's also a great cook."

"I can tell she has taught you well." She said, as she finished the muffin. "Ok, I'm going to change and we'll be off. Ok?"

Trudy nodded and sat down on the couch.

Pepper went to the bathroom and changed into a blue Mickey Mouse t-shirt, short jeans, sunglasses and red sneakers. And for the finishing touch: she gathered her hair and put on a light brown, bob-cut wig. When she was finished, Pepper came back to the living room, having a confused look from Trudy.

"Why are you dressed like that?" asked Trudy.

"Well, since everybody knows Tony, there are people out there who want see him or want to hurt him."

Trudy tilt her head to the side, "Why would anybody want to hurt him? What did he do?"

"There are a couple of dumb things that Tony did in the past. Some want his armor, some, revenge."

"Revenge is not the right answer. It'll only brings more pain, not just who wronged you but yourself as well." Trudy said plainly.

Pepper looked at her amazed, "Well put. So, are we ready?" she asked. Trudy nodded. They got out and went inside Pepper's car.  
>As they were driving through the city, Trudy looked through the window. "I have never seen so many people." she exclaimed.<p>

Pepper giggled, "Yes, yes there are."

(**A.N.: **I've never been to Malibu or Los Angles, it was brief stop at the LA Airport. So there'll be stuff and places I'll make up. But some will also be based on research)

When the two of them got to the mall, Trudy's eyes become wide and full of wonder.

"Is this your first time in a mall?" Pepper asked, with an amused smile.

"Uh-huh." She said, staring at the ceiling. "I've never been to a building where it has many other stores. The biggest store I ever been to was the farmers' market back home."

0o0o0

**3****rd**** POV, Tony**

After Pepper and Trudy left to go shopping to buy Trudy new clothes, Tony spend most of his time in his lab.

*_Ring-Ring*_

_"Sir, Mr. Montrose has arrived."_ informed JARVIS.

"Thanks, JARVIS. Send him in. I'll be right up."

_"Yes sir."_

Tony put down his tools and headed right up stairs. As he got upstairs he saw Mr. Montrose in his suit and held a briefcase.

"Good morning Rosy-cheeks." Tony greeted.

Mr. Montrose isn't pleased. **(A/N: Mr. Montrose has chalky cheeks and has an sour expression)** "Mr. Stark if you don't mind, it is Montrose."

"Ok." Tony shrugged.

"You do remember what we are here for, correct?"

"I know we're still going to talk about Trudy." Tony said, as if he didn't care.

"Yes..." he trailed, "Since she'll be staying with you for a little while she has to be in school."

"No prob."

Mr. Montrose rose an eyebrow, "Do you know what grade she's in?" he asked, "How about supplies? Which school is she going to?"

"Ok, for the supplies part, I'll call Pepper and tell her. She and Trudy just got out shopping." he said, sounding like there's nothing to worry.

0o0o0

**3****rd**** POV, Pepper**

"So Trudy, tell me about yourself." As they began walking down the red sidewalks. (The mall is like an indoor town).

Trudy looked up, "You want to know me? Why?" she asked, curious.

"Well, of course. I like to get to know you better. Like… where were you born?"

"I was born at Garden Grove Haven inside my house." She answered immediately

Pepper eyes widen in amazement, "Really? That's pretty cool."

"My family called me the April Shower Baby."

Pepper laughed, "That's cute."

"How is it cute?"

"It just is." she said. All of a sudden, Pepper's cell phone rang. Pepper looked at the caller ID. "It's Tony, it'll only take a minute. Hopefully. Just stay here okay?"

Trudy nodded, "Ok."

"What's up, Tony?" asked Pepper.

"_Hey Pepper, I need you to do some stuff for me."_ he said.

"Tony! You could've told me so before we left."

"_No, no, no, no! It has nothing to do with me, at least not at the moment. It's just that Mr. Rose-"_

"Mr. Montrose is here?"

"_Yeah. He told some stuff and one of them is that since Trudy is going to stay with us for a bit, she needs to go to school and since you guys are out… can you get supplies as well as…. find a school?"_ he said nervously.

Pepper pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, "Alright. I'll see what I can do."

"_Thank you Pepper. Good luck, bye!"_

Pepper sighed and shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder why I stayed working with you." she said. She turned to Trudy but she wasn't there. "Trudy?" Pepper looked around, trying to find her. But then she heard a commotion coming from behind her.

"Cube it! Cube it!" the crowd cheered.

Pepper rushed over there, and trying to get through the crowd. As she got through she spotted a man messing with a Rubik Cube and then she saw _Trudy_ facing away from the man. After the man finished with the Rubik Cube he tapped Trudy on the shoulder and handed the cube to her. Trudy nodded at the man and started solving the cube. Pepper stared in amazement. Trudy's twisted and turned in speed. In less than 30 seconds, she finished solving it. Everybody cheered and asked if she could do it again. But Pepper walked over to her,

"Trudy, where have you been?" she asked, concern and worry were in her voice.

"This man was yelling, asking if there is anyone who would beat his record on solving the Rubik Cube under 45 seconds. I was going to tell you but you were on the phone with Mr. -"

Pepper stopped her before she could say anything else, "Ok, explain to me after we leave this crowd."

The crowd protested. "C'mon, let her stay!"/"Let us see if she could do it under 30!"/"Let the kid stay!" but Pepper took Trudy away from the crowd and brought her to a more secluded area.

Pepper took a deep breath, "Ok, you may continue." She said.

Trudy took a deep breath, "I was going to tell you, but you were busy on the phone with Mr. Stark. Besides, it wasn't that far and I was going to come back when I'm finished." There was a moment of silence. Trudy looked down and circle her right foot, "Did I do something wrong?" she asked timidly.

"It's just that, didn't your dad tell you not to go off alone without supervision?" she asked, concern was in her voice.

"Daddy said, if I stay close to him and he can see me, then I can go anywhere."

"Well, when you're with me. You stay close to me unless I say otherwise."

Trudy nodded, "Ok. But before we go, there's something I need to tell you before I get in trouble in the future."

Pepper rose an eyebrow, "What is that?" she asked.

She was hesitant for a moment, "My middle name is Isabella, not Irelee." She said.

"Um….ok then. So anyway, Tony called and we need to get you to school." She announced happily.

Trudy looked confused yet bewildered, "You mean, with kids, teachers, a building and a playground?" She asked.

"Yes, of course." Said Pepper. Then a thought came to her, "Have you….been in school, before?"

"No." she said bluntly.

This made Pepper concerned. "Do you know how to read, write, do simple math?"

"Yes ma'am. I was taught at home and at church. My family and I….we lived in the mountains near a small town. Daddy thought I should be put into a really good school. But the problem is that the closest school is far away, and it's not financially possible."

"Do you know what grade you would be in?" she asked.

Trudy tilts her head to the side, "What's a grade?" she asked.

"_Oh dear! How will can we tell what grade Trudy will be attending?" _thought Pepper. "A grade usually means you're put into a certain stage of your learning level. Where you can progress without being too hard or too easy."

Trudy nodded, "Ok. So…what grade am I in?" she asked.

"That…I don't know." Then an idea popped into her head, "I have a couple of ideas of finding out what your grade is. But first of all do you like books?"

Trudy's eyes beamed, "Oh yes, I love books." She said.

"Great. That's where we'll be going first: the bookstore!"

0o0o0

**3****rd**** POV, Tony**

"Well that went well." Tony said in a suave matter, "Anything else you like to point out or tell me? Because I have something I'm working on right now…"

Mr. Montrose took out his brief case, opened it and took out an old brown leather-bound journal, "This is Mr. Brisby's journal. While gathering the small family's things, I stumbled upon this. There was a post-it note on the cover saying that if anything happens to him it should be given to you. The 'P.S.' said, 'Anthony Howard Stark is Trudy's godfather.'" There was a moment of silence, "That's….how I found out and assumed you're Miss Brisby's guardian." He handed Tony the journal, "And uh, one more thing:" he took out his small notepad and began writing down a list, "This list is to gather more information about Miss Brisby. Medical, Education, History and so forth. I'd like to have each of them done by the end of each week. That is the same amount of time till we find Miss Brisby a foster home. Is that fair?"

"Hm?" Tony looked up from the journal, obviously absent-minded, "Yeah, sure." He said.

Mr. Montrose sighed, "I'll also leave the details to your assistant. Have a good day Mr. Stark."

"You too, Rosy." He said, ignoring the hard huff from the social worker.

After Mr. Montrose left, Tony continued looking at the cover of his old friend's journal. The journal is 2 3/4 inches thick, 3 inches wide and 9 inches in length. And then there was this yellow post-it note. It said:

_If anything should happen to me, give this to Anthony Howard Stark. CEO of Stark Industries. I entrust the history of my life, written in my hand, to him. He was my best friend when we were in school together.  
>P.S. I know this is of shock, but Mr. Stark is going to be Trudy's, my daughter's, godfather.<em>

Tony, wasn't sure whether or not to read his late friend's journal. Without thinking he brought the book with him to his workshop.

When Tony went back to work. Or least trying to work. He didn't know how long he has been down here, so he decided to turn on the news. The first channel he saw, shocked him. He saw Pepper, holding a shock-stricken Trudy in her arms. He immediately dropped everything and head out the door.

0o0o0

**Trudy's POV**

*(Couple of hours earlier)*

We arrived at Phoenix Crossroads Bookstore and Library. As we went inside Pepper first asked me if I'd be ok by myself. I told her yes and as I mentioned to her before, as long I know where she is and I don't wonder off too far I'll be alright. She told me that she'll meet me at the cashier/checkout about noon and we're going to have lunch and get new clothes and school supplies. I went to the bookstore side of the store, while Pepper went to the library side. She told me she's going to do some research and see which school would be best. I was in the children's area and went to the young readers section. I looked over many covers and titles and finally, one of them has caught my eye: _The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, by: C.S. Lewis_. Curious I looked at the back reading the "intro-summary" of what the book's about. I became very interested to read it when it mentioned there's a world inside a wardrobe. As I opened the book and started to read, I suddenly became the character Lucy, I became friends with a fawn named Mr. Tumnus. We had tea and cakes and I can hear him playing his pan-  
>All of a sudden, the atmosphere changed. Slowly, I looked up and there was a man coming near me. He seemed not to mind me and looked like a regular customer but my conscience is telling me <em>Leave now!<em> I placed the book back where I found it and I decided to go find Pepper in the library.

**(NA: Just so you know, it may be scary. Please comment about this and tell me if I should change my rating)**

"Hey kid." Said the stranger. I didn't make eye contact but I got a _really_ good glimpse of didn't look like he's from a different country. He wore a white and black stripped shirt; black hair, brown eyes and he had a tattoo on his right forearm at the wrist. There were 10 rings link together in a circle, in each ring there are different, I think was Persian or Turkish writing in them; and in the center of the circle of rings are two talwar swords. "Where's your mother?" he asked, sounding friendly.

I immediately looked ahead and saw an old man, I looked at the man in the eyes, "My mommy isn't here but my grandpa is. Bye." I lied quickly but accurately. I was about to walk away till the man grabbed my wrist. I quickly remembered what Daddy taught me in self-defense. I fisted my free hand and began drumming his hand as hard as I can. "Let go of me!" I told him firmly. But he wouldn't let go.

"I'm not letting you go anywhere." He said. He spun me around and lifted me up. I kicked and I screamed. I screamed like I have never screamed before. "HELP ME! HE'S NOT MY DAD! PEPPER! HELP! HE'S N-" the man tried to cover my mouth, but I manage to bite him with the upper part of my mouth, hard. Finally, to my great relief, he put me down and began to run away from the scene. I was shaking like a leaf. Scared to death. All this commotion with everybody talking to me at once, I felt the world closing in on me. My senses were suffocating me. I couldn't breathe, everything I see is too much information and the sounds I hear everywhere are hurting my ears. I wanted to scream at the world to stop….but all I could do is cry.

0o0o0

**3****rd**** POV, Pepper**

Pepper spent the whole time doing some research looking for a good school. Obviously, public school is out of the question, since it's not decide if Tony wants to keep Trudy or not and it needs to stay clear from the public for the time being. So, Pepper went to look at private schools. She took a small notebook from her purse and wrote what needs to be done and a few other schools that sounded good. She needed to find out what grade Trudy is in and in order for Trudy to enter a private school, she needs to be prepared for the ISEE and/or the SSAT.

"_Oh my head!"_ she thought, "_This may take a while to get everything in order and done._ She looked at her watch, it's 20 minutes till 12 o'clock. Then she heard screaming.

"HELP ME! HE'S NOT MY DAD! PEPPER! HELP! HE'S N-"

_Trudy!_ Without thinking, she jumped out of the computer and ran to the source. She saw a group of people together, trying to do….something. As she got through them, Pepper saw Trudy, curled up into a ball, covering her ears with her eyes shut-tight. She was shaking terribly and she was crying but, very softly. She knelt down and tried to calm Trudy down, but it's like she's not listening. Pepper tried to 'unravel' her but she wouldn't budge. It was like she glued herself together.

Then the police and ambulance arrived. She carried Trudy to the ambulance. "Sir, Sir! Something's wrong with Trudy. She's curled up and crying and…I don't know if she's having a shock or a seizure-"

The man examined the girl, he looked up at Pepper, "She's not in shock. She's having a meltdown." He said. "Hug her for a minute and I'll be right back."

Pepper looked at the man, _Hug her?_ She thought. Then the man came back with a blanket.

"Wrap her snuggly in this." He said as he helped her. "And just keep hugging her and perhaps…rock her back and forth and maybe massage her shoulder. So….it may be able to work. But most importantly you must stay calm." He said. After a couple of seconds…Trudy was able to relax and calmed down.

Pepper was baffled, "How did you do that? How did you know?"

"I have a six-year old son who has autism. He would get meltdowns at night because he occasional gets nightmares and gets scared of the noises at night. Does your kid have autism?" he asked.

"Um, no. Trudy isn't my kid. She just 'crashed in' because she just became an orphan 2 weeks ago and is staying with my boss, for the time being." Pepper explained.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Said the medic.

"Pepper!" called a voice. Pepper looked up and there was Tony. Which surprised her, not because he came but he's in disguise. "Are you and Trudy ok?" he asked.

Pepper nodded, "We are now." She said.

**Trudy's POV**

The next thing I remembered was that I was wrapped snuggly in a blanket, being held and rocked like a baby. I also noticed we're outside at a parking lot. There was the police and an ambulance. I looked up, and there was Pepper. She had been crying, considering the state of the tearstain in her eyes.

"Oh Trudy, thank goodness you're ok." She exclaimed softly, hugging me.

"What happened?" I asked.

I felt a hand gently on my shoulder. I turned, and there was Tony. He was wearing a white shirt, a sleeveless hoodie and…really strange sunglasses. "Some people were saying that you almost got kidnapped." He said.

I nodded, "That's right. My conscience told I need to leave and…I don't like that his aura." I said.

Tony and Pepper looked at me surprised, "You felt…his aura?" asked Pepper.

I nodded, "I still remember what it felt like. His was…dark. I felt really uncomfortable around him."

Then a police officer came up to me, "Hello, I'm Officer Jackson. You would care to describe him?" he asked. But also notice some reporters were behind him wanting the same thing.

I nodded. I explained what happened and I even gave the description of my almost-captor.

Everybody looked at me, astonished.

"You saw all of that in one glimpse of your attempt captor?" asked Officer Jackson.

I nodded, "Daddy always told me I had a sensational photographic memory."

The officer smiled at me, "Well, it'll help us a lot. Thank you for telling us kid."

"You're welcome, Officer Jackson." I said as he walked away to report to the other policemen.

"Trudy?" asked Tony.

I turned my head, and saw Tony. I don't know why, but there's something in his eyes that tells me he knows something all too well. Like waking up from a nightmare. "Yes, Mr.-I mean, Tony?"

"You saw a tattoo and that's what you saw on it?"

"Yes, I'm very sure that's what's on his tattoo."

There was a moment of silence between the two of us. Then Tony took out phone. "I'll talk to you in a second. Right now there's…..something I need to do." He said.

I wasn't sure what he's going to do but I decided to let it go. "Ok." I said. Tony nodded and I watched him talking on the phone and walked away to his car. Then I felt an arm around my shoulder. I would've usually move away from someone I don't know because I don't like it. Because it feels really uncomfortable. But from that hand I feel safe. I looked up and it was Pepper.

"Had a good time looking at books?" Pepper asked.

I smiled and nodded.

"So, what did you find that's interesting? Are there any books you want to take?" she asked.

I immediately looked down at the ground. Pepper can tell that I'm debating, I really wanted the _The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe_ but I couldn't. "No. Not really." I lied.

Pepper rose an eyebrow, "Are you sure?" she asked.

Again, I looked at the ground again, circling my foot on the floor. "Yes." I said.

Pepper decided to let it go, "Ok, if that's what you want. So are you ready for lunch?"

My stomach gave the obvious answer. I looked up and smiled, "Ok."

Then Tony came back walking toward us. His eyes met Pepper's, "I called Coulson about this. And I'm sorry if changes plans, he said he wants to talk to us at The Cheese Cake Factory."

I tilted my head to the side, "Whom is Coulson?" I asked.

Pepper giggled, "'Whom'?" she asked. To be honest I kind of laughed too.

0o0o0

**3****rd**** POV**

"_**Did you know what you just caused Aamil?**_" asked a dark voice.

"_**But sir, that girl put up a fight and she was screaming-**_"

"_**I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY OF YOUR PATHETIC EXCUSES!**_" silencing Aamil, the scout who was assigned to kidnap the girl. Then there was a moment of silence. "_**Don't you see?! That girl is our high chance of getting what we need and…. Revenge.**_" He said it with venom.

"_**I swear it won't happen again. Just give me another chance!**_" Aamil pleaded.

"_**The Ten Rings…Doesn't give second chances…therefore, there's no room for mercy.**_"

**So guys,  
>What do you think?<strong>

**I learned about how children should self-defend themselves from what I know, and found this video while doing some research ** watch?v=LWYGfdrV_fY**  
>*Elige Ius Semper means "Always Choose the Right."<br>And the "Doesn't give second chances" quote? I used that from Twilight (which I don't own, at all).**


	4. School Hunt

**Hi everyone! This is Mikoto Bloom. I want to say thank you. I'm sorry that I took so long, but I have a bad habit into putting in detail and I was busy with school.  
>I got 4 followers and 1 favorite (I'm one of each). Thank you, thank you so much! Again, I don't own Marvel,<strong> **Avengers**,** or anything related to them, I haven't seen all the movies, though I did some research, the timeline may alter a bit. I only own my OC: Trudy Brisby!  
>P.S. If you noticed, I don't cuss. And I don't want put anything crude, inappropriate, nor show anything that involves s**. To be honest...it's embarrassing and it's hard to find fan fiction that is honest in its ratings. So, I want to be honest on my ratings. Thank you.<strong>

**Please Read and Review!  
>Enjoy! :D<strong>

**Still Thursday, October 13th**

**Trudy's POV**

The next thing I knew is that we were at the Cheese Cake Factory. This is actually the first time ever in my life that I ever been to restaurant _this_ big.

"Hey squirt," I looked up at Tony, "You look as if you haven't been in a restaurant before."

"Well, I have. It is because I haven't been to a restaurant this big or fancy in my life." I said.

Pepper smiled at me, "I hope you enjoy it."

I looked around and made a game to try to guess which one is Phil Coulson. Then one particular person caught my attention. He had brown hair and wore a suit that made me think of secret agents from movies. "Is that Mr. Coulson?" I asked Pepper.

Tony and Pepper looked toward my direction. "Yep, that's him." said Tony. The three of us walked toward Mr. Coulson.

"Hello Mr. Coulson," greeted Tony. When he said that, Pepper looked at him, puzzled about something. I thought Pepper knew Mr. Coulson. Why in the world—"You already know Pepper but the squirt next to her is Trudy."

Mr. Coulson smiled at me, "Nice to meet you Trudy, I'm Mr. Phil Coulson and I'm a friend of Tony's."

"*_Acquaintance_*" Tony coughed.

_"__That wasn't nice." _I thought.

"And I'm here to help you guys."

As I was taught by my family, I looked at him in the eyes and offered him a handshake, "It's nice to meet you Mr. Coulson." As Mr. Coulson shook my hand, I kind of got a better look at his suit. His suit must have cost a fortune! He must be in a very wealthy type of career. A secret agent is still in my mind but I thought of other possibilities…some sort of Politician? A lawyer? Perhaps someone who works in a business or owns a company like Tony? No. Definitely doesn't own a business-

"Excuse me Miss Potts," said a voice from behind us, it was a waiter. "We have your seats ready."

"Thank you…David." she said as she read the waiter's nametag. We followed him to a table with four seats. Just as we took our seats, when I sat down, my eyes could only (barely) see across the table. I frowned (inwardly). I have forgotten how short I was.  
>I think I heard Pepper laughing a bit. Probably because I did made a frown.<p>

"Would you like to get a booster seat?" asked the waiter.

"Yes please." I said. _Whatever that is._ After a few moments he came back with what looked like a brown plastic box. The inside is missing one side and has mold that seems to resemble one's behind. I got off as the waiter put the booster seat on, well…my seat. But before I decided to sit down I asked Pepper if I may go to the restroom. Pepper said yes but she is to accompany me and she needed to go too.

Pepper must have known this restaurant pretty well to know where the bathroom is. Either that or its 'emergency instinct' that Daddy has when he needed to go to the bathroom.

As we got inside and went doing our business, my mind wandered off into daydreaming of what my school is going to be like.

"Pepper?" I said.

"Yes Trudy?" asked Pepper.

"What is my school going to be like?" I asked.

I could hear Pepper sucked in her lips, "I'm not sure. But we can try to narrow down which school you need to go. But first we need to get you a nicer set of clothes. Besides, we _did_ plan on getting new clothes."

That surprised me! I thought that she'd forgot about it. I couldn't help but smile at Pepper's consideration. "Ok." After we've finished our business and washed our hands, we went back to the table and took our seats (me, kind of struggling to get on till Pepper helped me).

Just then an older girl (who is younger than Pepper) came by the table. She had short bob-cut blonde hair and she was dressed similar to the waiter. "Good afternoon everyone." She greeted, "I'm Jennifer Holts and I'll be your waitress. Have you found anything you would like to drink?" she asked.

"Yes," said Mr. Coulson, "I'd like to have some of the CheeseCake Factory's Special Lemonade please." He said.

"Just water please." Said Pepper.

"I'll have the Hibiscus Martini, _por favor_." Said Tony.

I looked at the menu (kids' version) apple juice, and the lemonade sounded good but the one drink or _drinks_ which puzzles me was 'soft drinks', "Excuse me, Pepper." I asked.

"Yes?" she said.

"What are 'soft drinks'?" I asked. Pepper smiled at me.

"Soft drinks are basically soda related. Like rootbeer." She explained.

I nodded in understanding, "Thank you Pepper." Then I turned my attention to the waitress, "I'll have some lemonade please." I said.

"Ok," she said after finishing writing on the notepad, "While you wait for your drinks, look at the menu and tell me what you would like to eat." She said, "I'll see you in a little bit." and she left.

"Ok, now that we are free to talk," said Mr. Coulson, "Let's talk about which school Trudy should go."

Pepper sighed. "I made priorities. One is that, which I'm sure you probably knew this, we have to put Trudy into a private school. Two, she would have to be placed at a not-too-distance from Malibu. While I was researching, the first school is called Birthsmith Elementary. It seemed to be like a good school. It has academics and activities, it has a good distance, and doesn't ask for too much information, we just need to hand in immunization and medical record, and birth certificate."

"That sounds fine." said Mr. Coulson, "Do you have their phone number by any chance."

Pepper nodded, "Wrote it in my planner. But we do have one problem," She said looking at Tony

"_What?_" he whined.

"We need to find _you_ a good alias." She pointed.

Tony leaned back into his seat with ease, "No problem. I can just use my alias back when I was in high-school. Dale Tuttle."

Pepper looked at Tony skeptically, "What did you do?"

Tony laughed, both amused and nervously, "Me and Mitch… we uh…" then he looked at me, and laughed, "We used to use fake I.D.s and buy some bottles of beer. But of course it didn't last. My dad found out and I got a big amount of grounding."

"No wonder your dad grounded you. I would be haunted by Gran'Pam for life!" I said.

"Gran'Pam?" asked Tony and Mr. Coulson, simultaneously.

"My grandma. My father's mom." I explained.

"Ok, that explains it." Said Tony, leaning back into his chair, "Anyways from now on, when in Trudy's public life, I'll be known as Dale Tuttle, a simple, yet _handsome_ worker who makes a good amount of money and has recently taken custody of an orphan girl I have graciously volunteered to take her under my wing."

"_Reality Check_ Tony: you didn't _volunteer_ to take Trudy. You were probably the last person Mr. Montrose wanted to bring Trudy 'under your wing'." said Pepper.

"**That** was _Tony's_ story. This is _Dale Tuttle's_ story. Don't get carried away."

"_No_. _You're_ the one who shouldn't get carried away. That is one of your biggest weaknesses."

"Ok. You two, that's enough." said Mr. Coulson. He turns to Pepper, "Miss Potts, did you made the list of possible schools that Trudy may attend?" before Pepper could answer, Jennifer came back with our drinks.

"Here are your drinks folks. Are you now ready to order?" she asked nicely.

"Yes, I think we're ready." Said Mr. Coulson.

When the food arrived, I was wolfing/enjoying my pasta. I _love_ pasta. Marinara sauce and cheese is my ultimate and only kind of favorite over anything else in the world.

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down, you'll get a stomach ache if you eat at that speed." said Tony, eating his grilled rib-eye steak.

"Pardon me. It was a long time since I've had pasta." I replied after swallowing.

"When was the last time you had pasta?" asked Mr. Coulson.

A sudden chill and silence came over me. Remembering…. my last birthday…. with Dad.

***  
><em>Daddy gently woke me up by shaking my shoulder. I looked up and he was smiling, "Happy Birthday Half-Pint!" he softly sang.<em>

_I smiled back at him, feeling like I'm the luckiest girl in the world. "Good morning, Daddy. How did you sleep last night? You seem more chipper than usual."_

_"__Well, to answer your question, I slept like a rock." He made a grumble voice when he said 'rock'. It made me laughed a bit. "And today's the day that I, your father, will be spending the day with my little princess."_

_That got me confused, "But don't you have work today?"_

_"__I've already asked Mr. Macintosh if I could take the day off. He said, in his Scottish accent, 'Aye Mr. Brisby. Tis not everyday you turn 10 yer old.'" He even did his funny 'impression' faces of his boss. "Quick question: do you still like pasta?"_

_I nodded, "Yes, but it's been a long time."_

_"__Well, guess what my sweet girl? For lunch _we_ are going to the Little Italian Restaurant or in Italian-"_

_"__Piccola Italia Ristorante." We said, simultaneously. He laughed._

_"__I cannot get you stumped, could I?" he asked._

_I shook my head, "Not yet anyway."_

"Trudy, are you alright?" asked Pepper.

My head snapped up from my plate, "Yes, I'm fine. And to answer your question, I didn't have pasta since my last birthday." I said, looking at everyone. "I'm fine. So, I'll be ok."

"Ok. If you say so." Pepper took another sip from her drink. I get the feeling that she doesn't believe me. But I'm not going to push it.

**Tony's POV**

"I called Birthsmith School and the secretary said we can come anytime we want." said Mr. Coulson, (**AN**: Or should we say, _Agent_ Coulson of S.H.E.I.L.D.). His voice brought me back to reality. I was looking at my ice cream, deep in thought, "So 'Mr. Tuttle', tell me again how did all of _this_ happened?"

"She was dropped at my place….her father, a close and old friend of mine was killed two weeks ago by a car bomb."

Agent Coulson blinked in surprise, "Who was the murderer?" he asked.

"I-I don't know. I was too shocked to ask and…. (I don't even know why I'm telling you this) but what's the biggest surprise is that I'm _the 'supposedly' last minute godfather_ for the poor kid."

"Wait a minute, 'supposedly' godfather?"

I shook my head, disbelieving, "To be honest, I don't know. Yesterday I had an appointment with a social worker. He gave me the news and told me about holding Trudy for a while. And then uh…. after he left I asked Trudy why I'm supposed to be her guardian and then she said that he said that I'm her godfather."

There was a moment of silence between us. "Wow. So… what are you going to do about it?"

"To be honest? I really don't know." I said.

"Well-" Agent Coulson was interrupted by sound of a very happy girl.

"Tony! Tony!" Trudy shouted running toward us in excitement. She was no longer in her big, baggy shirt and pants, she's now wearing a blue polo dress with short sleeves. She was smiling and her ponytail had ribbon tied in a bow. She was smiling and her smile made her eyes sparkle. That surprised me this shy and timid little girl was excited and talked in full speed, "I saw a fountain. A _real_ fountain! Pepper gave me a penny and I got to make my first wish on it!"

"Really? Well, congratulations." I said. I found myself smiling. Then I noticed Pepper, a couple of feet from Trudy, carrying only _a_ bag. "I thought, you were buying clothes."

Pepper smiled, "We did. The only clothes we bought are the ones she's wearing now. I asked Trudy if she wanted to get any more, but she said 'that's enough for today.' She's more excited about going to school than getting the clothes."

I laughed, "You really want to go to school."

Trudy nodded her head excitedly. "I really, _really_ want to go to school Tony. I love to learn new things and it's been one of my dreams to go a _real_ school, have teachers and maybe… have a friend. A real _kindred spirit_."

That phrased she used to describe her desire for a true friend was not only genuine, but I've heard something similar to that when I met Mitch years ago.

_I was about 11 when I started high school. It was Phillips Academy, a boarding school that my dad put me in so he can work without being disturbed. Nobody cared who I was but that didn't bother me. Then one day I was ganged up by a group of guys who were bigger and stronger than me. They pushed me and shoved me, ripped my homework and threw my textbooks at me, saying mean things about me and my father. I almost got punched in the face if a certain hand didn't catch the flying fist._

_"__Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?" he seethed._

_"__Why not? Pretty, rich boy doesn't belong here. In fact, he doesn't belong anywhere. Even his parents don't want him!" said one of the boys. What that guy said was mostly true. My father didn't seem to care about me. He only cared about his tinkering and my mom. But my mom cared deeply about me and she was reluctant to let me go to boarding school._

_"__That's none of your business. If you leave now and don't bother the poor kid again, I won't tell. But if you don't, I _WILL_ have to turn _ALL_ of you." He said pointing to everyone who'd participated._

_Just like that, they left without saying a word._

_That's when he turned to me and smiled softly. He's a pretty tall guy. "Hey, you ok?" he asked. When he bent down, I've got a better look on him as he helped picked up my books and handed them to me. He had black curly hair, blue eyes that that are slightly cover by his bangs. Wore a brown leather jacket, a plain shirt with a stretched out collar, a pair of jeans and an old-worn sneakers._

_"__Yeah, I'm fine." I lied._

_"__You're Tony, right?" he asked._

_I looked at him confused, "Yeah." Does he know who I am?_

_"__We have a couple of classes together. That's why I asked." He said._

_"__Well, you know my name, what's yours?"_

_He lifted me up (boy, he was strong) and shook my hand. "My name's Mitch. Mitchell Brisby."_

_"__Ok _Mitch_, why did you stood up for me?" I asked._

_Mitch stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Well, forgive me if I'm wrong, but you look like you need a friend."_

_I laughed humorlessly, "Don't you mean 'bodyguard'?"_

_He shook his head. "No, a friend. A _true_ friend who has your back."_

Feeling my heartstrings trying to start the tear factory, I simply said, "I hope we'll help you with that." And then started to walk ahead, with everyone else following behind.

**Trudy's POV**

**(In the car, an hour later)**

After 73 minutes and 37 seconds (I've been counting), we arrived at a place called Birchsmith. The town looked very nice. Most of its streets were made of brick and had lamp posts on the sidewalks and it has a friendly atmosphere.

Finally, we arrived at the school. I was pressing my face against the window. The playground looks fun. Slides, monkey bars, jungle gym, swings, some seesaws, and not to mention the open green field. With a large sandbox! But what really caught my eye was the barn … it looked like….my home farm….

As we got out of the car, we went to the office. The secretary saw us, "May I help you?" she asked Mr. Coulson. The receptionist was plump but has a bubbly aura. On top of the desk, I read the plank board _Mrs. Cox_.

"Yes, you see, we called the principal to see if we can enroll a new student." Said Tony (or should I say, Mr. Dale Tuttle).

Mrs. Cox mouth went to an 'O' shape, "Oh of course. I'll call Principal Pickett to let her know you are here." She said as she picked up the phone.

_"__Hello?"_ said the other end of the phone line.

"Mrs. Pickett, Mr. Tuttle and his niece are here."

_"__Oh, I'll be right with them. Thank you, Nancy._" Said the principal. After a couple of minutes, a woman with white hair in full fringe style, dressed in professional blazer and pants came into view. For someone who is well stricken in years, she is lovely. "Hello, I'm Mrs. Pickett. Principal of Birthsmith School." she shook everyone's hand, then she looked at me and smiled, "And this must be Trudy." she said, slightly bending her knees. "My, what a lovely child you have Mr. Tuttle." she said.

That caught me off-guard. I don't think I'm pretty at all. According to my other family members…

"Well, Trudy is not _my_ actually kid-" said 'Mr. Tuttle'. But Mrs. Pickett stopped him.

"I know. I've heard she's your niece." she turns to me, "And I'm very sorry about your father's passing." she said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Pickett." I said. That was very nice of her.

"Anyways, you called earlier to see if this school would fit to your liking?" she asked.

"Yes, well, it's also for_ Trudy_ that needs to see if the school is right for her."

Mrs. Pickett smiled, "I understand. All parents and guardians wish what to do what is best for their child."

"Well, even if we did choose this school, we don't know what grade Trudy should be in." said Pepper.

This caught Mrs. Pickett's (and everyone else's) attention. "Oh that's alright. After we discuss and have a tour around campus, Trudy could take the academic placement test at the library if you like."

"That would be great Mrs. Pickett." She said.

(**AN: I'm going to skim through this. I did it so you can see this and I want to get this done!**)

Throughout the tour, the school was bigger than I pictured it. Not to mention so _many_ rooms. But the important things I remember from Mrs. Pickett.

_School starts promptly at 8:30 sharp…... _

_Kindergarten to 3__rd__ grade meet here…. While the 4__th__ to 8__th__ graders meet in the upper floors…._

_Lunch at 11:30….._

_35 minute recess (unless the weather is precarious) ….._

_3:05 all the children line up for the bus or wait for their parents to come and pick them up._

Most of it was boring to be honest. But my mind was mostly on the playground and the farm. I wonder what kind of animals are in there?

But after all that we went to the library. And the test I took was 3 pages stapled together. I immediately went to work as soon as it was handed out to me. The first part was math and a bit of Algebra, then reading and writing.

Easy peasey, lemon squeezey. Although, I had to admit that near the end of each subject, it became harder for me to answer but I did my best guess to the very end. (Although I hate guessing on important things because I'm wrong every time).

"When will I start school?" I sighed. Resting my hand on my cheek.

Mrs. Pickett chuckled, "You really want to go to school don't you?" she asked. I nodded tiredly. "Now don't you worry, as soon we see the results of the test and have your application turned in, you may be able to start school next Monday."

That caught my attention so much that I've jumped out of my seat and hugged Mrs. Pickett, "Thank you so MUCH, Mrs. Pickett!"

**Tony's POV**

I stared in shock and amazement that this kid even dared hugged someone she barely knew.

But Mrs. Pickett didn't seem to mind at all.

This kid is a mystery I tell you that.

"Mr. Tuttle?" said Mrs. Pickett.

Her voice got me out of my trance, "Yes?"

"If we want Trudy to go school next week, there's an application to fill in and you can bring it to me tomorrow if you like." she said.

"Oh no. That would be perfect."


	5. Captain's New Friend

**Hi everyone! This is Mikoto Bloom. I want to say thank you. I got 11 followers and 8 favorite (one of each is…me. Sorry.). Thank you, thank you so much! Again, I don't own Marvel,** **Avengers**,** or anything related to them, I haven't seen all the movies, although, I did some research, the timeline may alter a bit. I only own my OC: Trudy Brisby!  
>If you noticed, I don't cuss. And I don't want to put anything crude, inappropriate, nor show anything that involves s**. To be honest... it's embarrassing and it's hard to find a fan fiction that is honest in its ratings. So, I want to be honest on mine. Thank you. But if you find anything that <strong>_**you**_** think that I should change my rating, please inform me.  
>And right now, I would like to have some reviews on my new chapters. Please, I would appreciate that.<br>**

**P.S.  
>I decided not to go into detail and take the easier road. I'm going to skip ahead and But I'll bring in flash backs and explanations as well.<br>And also, there's going to be Spanish in there but I don't know how to speak Spanish so I used the Google Translator. If you speak Spanish, please **_**kindly**_** correct me.**

*_Thoughts, Dreams/Flashback, Phone Conversation, J.A.R.V.I.S. speaking  
>*<em>_**Another language**_

**Please Read and Review!  
>Enjoy! :D<strong>

**April 27****th****, 2012  
>New York City, Manhattan, New York, USA<strong>

**Steve's POV**

It's been a week since I've woken up from my 70 year 'nap'. When I first ran out of that building and got to Time Square, I was shocked, amazed, but confused and scared.  
>How much has happen since I've been gone? What happened to my friends? What happened to Peggy? <span>$# %<span>! I had a date and…. I missed it. I felt terrible.  
>Now that the war was over and that HYDRA's gone, what am I supposed to do? More than likely all my friends are gone and I don't have anyone I can turn to. Maybe Director Fury but I don't know him well. Although, he helped me find a place to stay and gave me a 'cellphone' (which I have no idea how to use it) and he told me that he'd help me find a 'tutor' to catch up in this new century that I'd never thought I'd live to see. <p>

Today I decided to take a tour around the city with the motorcycle that Fury kindly gave me. After driving a couple of blocks, I parked and started walking along the sidewalk. As I was walking, (which is obvious) that there are more buildings (some bigger and higher than others) and many more people. Which some of them wore strange clothes and hairstyles, not to mention that some of them had piercings all over themselves (which I find horrifying and my mother would have faint if I did anything of the sort). But it's those posters and adds I find the most appalling that I find myself looking away, ahead or on the ground.  
>So much has changed. Everything that was considered scandalous and inappropriate in my day was…<em>acceptable<em>. I shook my head disbelieving what I am seeing. If these _things_ were acceptable, then it must also mean that the morals and ideals have changed as well. My heart dropped like a rock on that thought. If everyone is like this, then our country and the whole world is in trouble. What is the world coming to? I didn't really expect to survive the crash. I thought that I'd go to heaven and see my parents and Bucky again. But I was wrong. I was so wrong. I'm all alone. Right on the sidewalk, I stopped walking, bowed my head, and began to say a prayer in my heart.  
><em>"Dear God, I know it has been awhile since I prayed but I don't know what to do. So much has changed while I was gone and I'm lost. I don't know where to go or what to do. You're the only one that I can turn to at this time. Please…if possible and if you're willing, perhaps you may send me something like, a hint or someone to show me which path I need to take. If it's too much, forgive me. I know you're probably busy with so many people on the earth right now. Amen."<em>  
>After I said my prayer, I spotted a red, oval sign that said in Broadway print "Recess Café and Family Diner." Now that I think of it, I am a little hungry. I shrugged my shoulders and headed inside. The bell rung as I opened the door. The cafédiner looked like any other diner. Table benches on the side of the windows and some tables and chairs across the room. The place is small but has a cozy and friendly atmosphere.  
>I ordered myself a ham sandwich with a cup of black coffee. As I sat down at the nearest table, I heard the doorbell ring, announcing another customer just came in. I don't know why I looked up but I did. It was a girl wearing glasses and a school uniform. Her hair was brown in soft curls and it was pulled up into a ponytail, carrying a bookbag (<strong>AN<strong>: one of those old fashioned ones). I looked at the time, "_It's only 2:00. Do they let kids out of school early these days?"_ I wondered.

"Good afternoon, Miss Mitchells. How are ya today?" asked the manager, whose name I learned was 'Betty'. She looked like in her 50's, slim, with short 'spikey' red hair but seems to have a perky attitude.

"Oh everything is alright. Radar is getting better and the vet said he can start walking again. Just nothing too _vigorous_." she said.

"I'm glad to hear. So, will it be the usual today?" Betty asked.

"Sadly no, but I'll have the mini Caesar Salad and… I guess some of your famous Sparkling Watermelon wouldn't hurt." The girl said smiling. To be honest, her smile is very sweet and kindness was shining through her eyes. I turned back to my lunch but couldn't help but listen to rest of the conversation.

"Oh you're so sweet." Betty commented.

"I just don't see how I'm sweet." For some reason I imagined the girl shrugging her shoulders at the comment.

"It's just because you are."

Just as the girl was about to find a seat, but she quickly turned her heel, as if remembering something. "Oh, may you be so kind to make some burgers too. For Radar, I mean."

"Well Miss Mitchells, we're short on patties but I'll be back with them cooked and ready before you leave."

"Thank you Betty." She said, smiling as she went to get a seat. From the corner of my eye, she took her seat at the corner, three tables away from mine and pulled out a book. Everything was going fine for the next couple minutes until…

"Hey, you're that Bradby girl, right?" said a voice. I looked up from my lunch and saw a guy. He looked like any ordinary guy but something tells me there's something… not quite right about him.

The girl looked up from the book she was reading, "Um, no. Can I help you?" she asked, unsure.

I really don't like how that guy's eyeing her. "You are, aren't you?"

The girl looked at him, "I'm sorry you probably mistaken me for someone else." She said, shaking her head.

The guy shrugged his shoulders, "Ok. It's just that you look a lot like her."

"I don't know who're talking about. So please excuse me." She said as she moved to another table. It's obvious that she's uncomfortable around him and I don't blame her. He's invading her personal space.  
>The guy didn't went back to his seat. He followed her. <em>That <em>got my full attention, if a person, well, lady, is not interested, leave her alone. Before I could go into action, I had to be sure.

"Look," he said, "I'm sorry about earlier. It's just that, you're a very pretty girl, even if you have glasses." I've arched my eyebrow at that statement. What was he trying to do? "And I was wondering, would you like to have dinner with me tonight."

"I'm sorry sir, I already have plans tonight with my godfather and his girlfriend." She said, nicely.

"Ok, maybe tomorrow night?" he asked.

"No, thank you." she said politely.

"C'mon, why not?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't go to dinner with men I don't know." she said but by the tone of her voice, it sounded forced.

"Well I'm Thaddeus Rockweller and if you give me your name, we'll both know each other." The girl shifted uncomfortably with a few moments of silence. "Okaaayy, names are not important anyway. You see, when I first saw you, you look like you're a very special girl."

"_Ok 'buddy', you have one more strike before you're out." _I thought. If he doesn't leave the girl alone and makes another move on her, I have to take action.

"I don't know you sir. Please, leave me alone!" she pleaded, even moving further away.

"But I haven't done anything." he said as he leaned in and tried to touch her. But the girl pushed his arm away.

"Don't touch me!"

That did it. He crossed the line when he tried to touch her. I got out of my seat, grabbed the man's shoulder and pulled him away from the girl's personal space. The guy, Thaddeus, looked behind and his eyes widened.

"Sir, I'm going to ask you nicely to leave this young lady alone." I said firmly. I could feel the adrenaline kicking-in that I feel when I'm Captain America, on or off the battle field.

Thaddeus smirked at me, "Are you planning to go toe-to-toe with me pretty boy?" he asked smugly. It's obvious he's bluffing his bravado, and I had a lot of experience with it to know it.

My eyes narrowed him down further, "Yes, but we'll have to do it outside, if that's what it takes." Thaddeus' face turned wary. His face turning sheet white and took a step back. I turned to the young girl, "Miss, are you alright?"

The girl nodded her head, "Yes, thank you very much."

"If you'd like, you can sit with me until this guy leaves." I offered.

"Yes, thanks again." she said, as she grabbed her bag and book and started toward to sit in my seat.

I turned back to the unwanted suitor, "_You_ go back and sit where you are."

He was slowly walking backwards but his eyes never left the girl.

"Now!" my voice was almost a bark.

"S-Sorry." he said, scampering back to his seat.

"You should never persist a young lady who's not interest, even if you are trying to be friendly." I finished it with a soft glare as I went back to my seat.

She sighed in relief, "Thank you very much."

"Your welcome, ma'am." I said.

"So when did you come back from the military?" she asked casually.

That took me by surprise. "I'm sorry?" I asked.

"Sorry, I'm not good at…. _talking_ to people. I could ask you a different question if it is too personal or if it makes you uncomfortable-" she stammered.

I waved my hand, "Oh no, no. Don't worry about it. I'm not good with talking either, specifically dames…uh women, I mean-" Great! I'm sounding like an idiot. "Forget what I said. It's just that you caught me by surprise when you asked me when I came back from the Army. How did you know that?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I didn't know, I uh…_saw_, what I've learned about you. So far."

I leaned back in my chair, is she one of Fury's agents? "Like what?" I asked.

She took a deep breath, "The way you held yourself clearly says you're military, same way how you conversed to that man. Your hands are bigger than normal, mainly it is probably because you've been recently punched a punching bag…. Yesterday, I think. Actually, it seems that you've punched earlier today because hands are a bit raw and there's still some residue from boxer's tape that professional boxers use to protect their hands. As for my guess of rank, your raise of voice and command says you are an officer. At least (which is very rare for your age) a major."

I looked at her, amazed. "How did you do that?"

The girl shrugged her shoulders. "To be honest… it has been part of my quirks. I used to play 'detective' and I've been playing it as game ever since I was a kid to keep myself from getting bored. Overtime it became a gift…. and a curse."

"Why a curse?"

"Because without meaning to, I end up sticking my nose in other people's problems and/or I jump to conclusions that end up to misunderstandings." There was about a second of silence, "If I'm wrong about you being a captain, or if I had offended you or anything, please let me know." she said.

"Oh no. You're fine, it's just that…." I can't tell her that I'm from World War II, "You are right for the most part. But I'm not a major. I'm actually a captain." I said.

The young lady snapped her fingers, "Dang it! There's always at least one thing I get wrong." she said to herself. She looked up back at me. "Sorry about that. So….when did come back?

Without thinking I said, "About a week ago. I just moved here." That was the first thing that just popped into my head. _Moved?! Steven Grant Rodgers!_ I could hear my mother say that. Yes, I'm very well aware I lied, but S.H.E.I.L.D. doesn't want me to be public.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Mr.—oh my goodness, I don't even know your name, good sir!"

I smiled softly, "It's alright." I extended my hand, "Steve Rodgers, ma'am."

She lifted her finger up, signaling for a moment as she got into her bag and took out a pen, then one the paper napkins and stared writing. She handed the napkin to me. It was written in Morse Code. It said: _Don't look. Creepy guy reading lips. Trust me. Tell you later._

She smiled at me and shook my hand. "Tibby Mitchells, and it's very nice to meet you Mr. Rodgers."

"Likewise." I said. I gently picked up the spoon and 'inspected' it. Sure enough, that stalker is watching us. "So… how do you do?" As I put the spoon down.

"I'm fine thank you." She said.

Before we got into further discussion, Tibby's meal was placed on the table as well as a white paper bag. Both of us looked up at Betty.

"Here is your order and I've found some extra patties that'll save me a trip of shopping." Then she looked concerned, "What's the matter Miss Mitchells? Why are you not in your usual spot?" she asked.

Tibby smiled faintly, "Well, uh… you see-" Then she started speaking in a different language. Spanish, I think. She was probably explaining what happened and then pointed to me and said _caballero_. Betty looked at me interested, I mean _very_ interested. Then Betty said something that made Tibby blush. "_No, no._ _Nos acabamos de conocer._" Betty looked back at me then back at me. "_Lo que sea. Nos vemos._" And then she left us.

"What did she say?" I asked.

She waved her hand. "Oh, it's nothing too serious. She's just suggesting that I should go on a date with you sometime. But I'm not planning in dating right now."

I nodded in understanding, "I get what you mean."

"What do you mean?" she asked. As she took a bite of salad.

"I didn't date very much and all the dates were set up by my friend, Bucky. Before I came to the army, I wasn't a guy worth lining up."

"Why not? I just met you and from what I can tell, any girl would consider themselves honored to meet a gentleman like yourself." Her complement made me smile. She's really sweet.

"Well, I wasn't… reaching their expectations_ physically_. So I was pretty skinny."

"That's their loss. It doesn't matter what you look like. All it really matters is who you are on the inside."

I nodded in agreement, "I'm glad there are people who still believe that."

Throughout our lunch we've talked for a long time, even after our lunch we still talked. Then there was a small beeping sound coming from Tibby's watch.

"Oh my goodness. It's 4:30. Radar's probably wondering where I am." She started gathering her stuff, and as she was about to take her wallet out, I beat her to it. "You didn't have to do that."

"Not to worry, ma'am. Besides, I think it'll save you some time."

She smiled at me, "Thank you. I promise I'll pay you back."

"No don't. It's a privilege." I insisted. But as I was getting out of my seat, the stalker was still there. "Um, I'm pretty sure you noticed but um, your unwanted suitor is still here."

She looked behind me and from the look in her eyes, she seemed pretty scared. "Um, Mr. Rodgers, if it's not too much trouble, may escort me to my home please?"

"I'd be honor to escort you, Miss Mitchells." I said.

She smiled at me, "Thank you."

As we got out of the diner, we started talking again. This time about we talked about God and religion. I learned she isn't in a specific group in Christianity but she goes to church every Sunday. The church she's currently going to is called, St. Crusaders. A very poor church but nobody has to pay to hear God's word.

As we got to my motorcycle, she looked… unsure.

"You never road on a motorcycle before?" I asked.

Tibby shook her head, "No." There was a bit of a silence, "Is it safe?" she asked.

"I promise I'll be careful." Unknowingly I offered my hand, "Do you trust me?"

A puzzled expression came on her face but her puzzled expression turned into a smile, "Yes."

As we got on, Tibby sitting behind me, we were off. When we're finally on the road, I, slightly, turned to her. "So, uh…where's your house?" I asked.

"7226 Lexington Avenue" she replied.

And off we went.

**So guys, what do you think?**

**Links and References-**

**Got this from Google Translate:  
><strong>_**Nos acabamos de conocer**_**- I just met him.  
><strong>_**Lo que sea. Nos vemos**_**- Whatever. See you later.  
><strong> 

**Book bag: . **

**The Unwanted Flirtation, I got the idea right here- watch?v=sSFN_wPKuhM **


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